October 31, 2012

A Ride with RallyCross Driver Bucky Lasek

﻿﻿Bucky Lasek is new to the RallyCross scene this year, having secured a ride on the newly formed Subaru PUMA RallyCross Team. My introduction to him was earlier in 2012 at the Hoon Kaboom Global RallyCross event in Texas, where he took a ride off one of the ramps.

When at Subiefest at the ﻿Fairplex in Pomona, California, on October 6, I was asked if I would like to ride along with Lasek as he took to the autocross course. That was a no-brainer. It would be the ultimate experience, and I was excited!

Earlier in the day, I had ridden in a BRZ on the course with a first-time autocrosser, so I was a little experienced.

All eyes were on me as I got in Bucky Lasek’s personal WRX STI, which wears Satin White Pearl with orange rims that complement the paint﻿﻿ perfectly. Minor mods to the car include bolt-ons and COMP-2TM tires. Inside were RECARO(R) racing seats and everything typical of an everyday driver: things on the back seat, items in the door, and sunglasses in the console. But he did mention that he removed the child seat.

We strapped in and chatted as we waited for our turn at the line. Revving off the start line, the next 50 seconds were a pure adrenaline rush!

We made a quick left and headed into the first series of corners. I laughed out loud and felt like a giddy child. Lasek pushed through the chicane like it was a straight line, with no need for the brakes until the next corner.

I’ve never experienced a car pushing into corners so hard and so fast. Lasek’s driving was much cleaner and smoother than that of the driver of my previous ride. No jolting braking into the corners – it was fast, with smooth transition, minus a missed shift coming out of the last corner.

Feeling the power of that WRX STI in the hands of a skilled driver was unadulterated excitement!